"Excellent! Thank you to Contestant No.1 for the Clone Technique demonstration. His score is eight points."
"Next, please welcome Contestant No.2 to the stage!"
"Teacher Makoto, why are we watching this kind of competition? It feels like a waste of time. Hardly any real shinobi would even participate in something like this."
The moment Asuma Sarutobi arrived at the venue, he saw a contestant on stage performing a clumsy Clone Technique, and he couldn't help but complain.
Makoto chuckled.
"Asuma, did you forget your match with Shisui Uchiha last time? Never underestimate anyone."
Asuma was instantly speechless.
If Makoto hadn't comforted him after that battle, Shisui's overwhelming defeat might have crushed his confidence completely.
"Understanding the strength of others in the same generation within the village never hurts," Makoto said casually.
Of course, the real reason he came was because he was worried Obito might mess things up. Watching in person would make him feel more at ease.
Asuma looked around and noticed several familiar faces.
"Kakashi is here too… Don't tell me he's participating? That would be bullying," Asuma said.
He and Kakashi Hatake were acquaintances, and Asuma knew exactly how terrifying Kakashi's talent was.
Graduated at five. Chūnin at six.
While most people were still learning hand seals and practicing the Academy Three Basic Techniques, Kakashi had already begun training advanced ninjutsu and Chakra Nature Transformation.
And it wasn't just Kakashi.
Asuma also spotted Shisui Uchiha, the one who had defeated him before.
He actually looked forward to seeing Shisui and Kakashi face each other.
Let the two monsters fight each other.
"Next, please welcome Contestant No.2 — Hagane Kotetsu!"
The host enthusiastically called out the name.
Kotetsu immediately walked onto the stage.
"Kotetsu! Go for it!" Kamizuki Izumo cheered loudly for his friend.
Izumo felt his training still wasn't good enough, so he hadn't entered the competition.
Mitarashi Anko had wanted to participate, but she had something to do today and couldn't make it.
"Kotetsu, which ninjutsu will you be demonstrating?" the host asked politely.
"I'll be demonstrating a technique that my friend and I developed together — the Enemy Confusion Technique!" Kotetsu declared proudly.
Izumo grinned from the audience.
After all, he had contributed to developing that technique too.
"Remarkable! Such a young ninja already developing new ninjutsu!" the host praised.
"May I ask which grade you're currently in at the Ninja Academy?"
"First year," Kotetsu answered honestly.
The host was stunned.
First-year students had barely been studying for two months.
Anyone capable of performing the Academy Three Basic Techniques was already considered impressive.
The audience also looked shocked.
Especially second- and third-year students, who suddenly felt like they had wasted their years at the Academy.
Meanwhile, Makoto had already guessed what technique Kotetsu was about to perform.
He just didn't know how well it had been completed.
The host stepped aside.
"Now, please enjoy Hagane Kotetsu's Enemy Confusion Technique!"
Kotetsu quickly formed hand seals and guided his chakra.
Poof!
A puff of white smoke appeared.
Then—
A chair taller than Kotetsu himself appeared on stage.
Silence.
The entire venue fell into dead silence.
Everyone stared blankly at the giant chair beside Kotetsu.
What… was that?
The host had been hosting this competition for five years and believed no ninjutsu could surprise him anymore.
Today proved him wrong.
He stood frozen for a moment before walking back onto the stage.
"Ahem… Kotetsu, this… this ninjutsu of yours…"
He didn't even know how to phrase the question.
"Well," Kotetsu explained seriously,
"The Clone Technique is meant to confuse enemies, right? My idea was to combine the Clone Technique with the Transformation Technique to create a stronger confusion effect."
"Then… why is it a chair?" the host asked.
Whether enemies would be confused or not was unclear—but teammates definitely would be.
"Because chairs are easy to transform into. I can't transform into anything else yet," Kotetsu replied honestly.
"Hahahahaha!"
The crowd burst into laughter.
They thought they were witnessing a genius prodigy.
Instead, they got a lovable idiot.
"This kid is truly a 'talent.'"
Asuma's mouth twitched.
Just moments ago he had been thinking the new generation was full of geniuses—first-year students developing new techniques.
For a second he even wondered if the Second Hokage had reincarnated.
And then reality flipped everything around.
"Teacher Makoto… are Ninja Academy students always like this?" Asuma complained.
Even Makoto felt slightly speechless.
He had told Kotetsu to start practicing transformations with a chair.
How had that turned into only knowing how to transform into chairs?
"Objectively speaking, for a first-year student, this level of mastery in the Clone and Transformation Techniques is actually quite good," Makoto commented.
After hearing that, Asuma realized something.
Kotetsu wasn't a shinobi yet.
He was just a first-year Academy student.
At that level, this was actually impressive.
Looking at the laughing crowd around them, Asuma suddenly felt a strange sense of superiority.
As for Kamizuki Izumo—
After hearing the audience laugh, he became completely silent.
He silently thanked himself for not participating.
There were so many students here. Word would spread throughout the Academy.
At that point, his student life would be over.
"Let's see the judges' scores!" the host announced.
"The total score is twelve points. The concept behind this technique is good. With further improvement, it could achieve a higher score."
"I'll continue improving it with my good friends Kamizuki Izumo and Mitarashi Anko," Kotetsu said with a bright smile—deliberately stating their full names.
"Oh! So the other two 'talents' are named Kamizuki Izumo and Mitarashi Anko. I wonder if they're here today."
Hearing the discussion around him, Izumo's face turned pale.
If this reputation spread, how would he ever find a girlfriend?
"Next, please welcome Contestant No.3 — Uchiha Tekka!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Tekka wasted no time.
He quickly formed hand seals and released a massive Great Fireball roughly the size of a person.
"As expected of a young member of the Uchiha Clan! He has already mastered such a powerful technique before even graduating!" the host exclaimed.
"Even for a genin, mastering a technique like this is impressive," one judge said while giving a high score.
The other judges nodded and followed suit.
"Twenty-six points! Uchiha Tekka takes first place for now with an impressive score of twenty-six!"
Based on the host's five years of experience hosting this event—
Unless an absolute monster appeared, twenty-six points was almost guaranteed to win first place.
Tekka calmly stepped off the stage.
If it weren't for the 8,000 ryō prize, he wouldn't have bothered with such a competition.
"Shisui, what did you think of my Great Fireball?" Tekka asked.
"It's clear you've been training seriously," Shisui Uchiha replied.
Originally, Shisui had intended to meet up with Obito.
But he had run into Tekka and some other clan members on the way, so he ended up staying with them.
Although Tekka's Great Fireball was good—
Shisui didn't believe it would win first place.
Because he had seen Obito's Great Fireball.
"Next, please welcome Contestant No.4 — Obito Uchiha!"
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